[Stereological analysis of human gingival connective tissues. Clinically healthy gingiva]

The purpose of this study was to analyse stereologically the composition of the human gingival connective tissue after a period to two weeks of intense oral hygiene. Thiry young adults participated in this study. A clinical examination (plaque index and gingival index) was made at day 0 and day 14: on this last day an interdental papilla in the premolar region was sampled. The stereological analysis on point integration field has been made on serial sections of the interdental papillae sectioned in a buccal lingual plane. The gingivodental status of the subjects after the period of intense hygiene was characterized by a total absence of dental plaque and signs of gingival inflammation. The connective tissue was mainly made of by a dense network of collagen fibers. However an infiltrated zone of inflammatory cells (about 25% of the connective tissue) was always present. As a whole the gingival connective tissue was made of 88.4% of collagen, 7.3% of blood and lymph vessels, 4.9% of edema, 8.4% of fibroblasts, 8.2% of inflammatory cells and 2.7% of residual tissue (unidentified cells, nerves...). The infiltrated zone showed a certain number of differences with the non-infiltrated zone (collagen decrease, increase in oedema, vessels and mainly in inflammatory cells, principally monocytes, polymorphonuclear leukocytes and lymphocytes).